The other day I was browsing the MLR videos on our YouTube channel and noticed that I had a copyright strike on one of the videos. This was surprising as I use our music in the videos. Investigating further I saw the strike was from AdRev and a library I have placed music with on a non-exclusive basis.

I immediately challenged the strike, e-mailed the library owner and he agreed to remove. I also e-mailed AdRev and explained I have never given any permission to anyone to place our music in YouTube Content ID. AdRev confirmed that the content had been removed from their system.

Here’s where it gets good. I then asked AdRev to check and see if there were any other music in their system under Art Munson and/or Robin Munson. They followed up and said they had 50 tracks in AdRev of ours! Holy crap! I’m now waiting on a list from AdRev so I can start going after these companies. What a pain in the arse!

This stuff is really getting out of hand and I am so close to uploading all our catalog into AdRev to protect ourselves from any further infringement.

This is a warning for us all on another way our music is being abused!

Yeah it sucks – then the next question is, when are you getting your share of that income? And shouldn’t you get all of it?

I had a non-ex library that I’ve done really well with, literally do this at least four times with the SAME music… the first time I’d find out would be from a RF library freaking out, telling me they have to refund sales to some of their customers. After the first time it was always a mistake – non-ex music bundled in with exclusive music and sent over to AdRev, then uploaded into Source Audio, then removed, then put in again… it was all worth the stress and hassle though because this particular library has netted me much more than all RF libraries have combined.

These days I seem to just get the mistaken or fraudulent matches – illegal ‘remixes’ of my tracks (bought from a RF site) that are enrolled in Content ID, stuff like that.

I posted recently in another thread about having this exact same problem. I started a YouTube channel to promote some RF tracks and link to my P5 page. Eight out of the first ten I uploaded came back being monetized by two different NE libraries. And like Mark says, multiple offenders. I had been told by both in the past my tracks had been removed. I’m sure, like Art has found, that many others of mine are still improperly (illegally?) in the system. I mentioned in my previous post that what bothers me is the companies doing this are putting me in breach of contracts I’ve signed with NE libraries stating I would not have my music in the content ID system. I agree it is very much so getting out of hand.

By the way, during all this I learned from adrev that there is no way for them to remove tracks from YouTube’s content ID. They have a process in place of deactivating reference files so content ID won’t be able to make any matches but tracks are not technically removed from content ID by adrev.

I’m sure, like Art has found, that many others of mine are still improperly (illegally?) in the system.

Yep, just found out one library (and AdRev) had confirmed that they had removed our music in 2017 but they come up as one of the companies still showing in AdRev with our music. Turns out they had re-uploaded another track after they said they took our music down in 2017.

Also, just received an e-mail from AdRev that they are removing all of our music from 3rd party clients. WHEW!

I have to say that both AdRev and Haawk have made it very simple to get unauthorized placements removed.

By the way, during all this I learned from adrev that there is no way for them to remove tracks from YouTube’s content ID. They have a process in place of deactivating reference files so content ID won’t be able to make any matches but tracks are not technically removed from content ID by adrev.

I have a question: I too want to avoid stuff going onto YouTube content ID. On songtradr with its monetisation you can tick to be with Big Sync Music amongst other people. What’s not clear from them and many other libraries is whether your tracks will end up with content ID on YouTube. What I don’t want is people buying my tracks legitimately from elsewhere and finding they can’t use them.

What’s not clear from them and many other libraries is whether your tracks will end up with content ID on YouTube.

Yep, that’s what we all are dealing with. Doesn’t seem to matter when some libraries say they will not place your music in Content ID. They do it anyways!

If you have a small catalog you can run a test on YouTube. Upload a video (it can just be an image running over the course of the video and set to “Private”. You will find quickly whether there is a strike against you and you can contest it. They usually give you enough info to track down the company that placed the track.